Diving toy



3111?, v 1 F. E. PARSONS 2,290,067

DIVING TOY Filed Jan. 29, 1941 M:- fledem'ckfl arsom Patented July 14,1942 UNHTED STATES orrlce 6 Claims.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in amusementdevices of the Cartesian diver type and more particularly to a noveldiving member therefor.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide an amusementdevice of the type set forth having a novel diving member oftwodimensional form composed of waterproof sheet material characterizedby its inherent resilient flexibility.

Another object of the invention is to provide for an amusement device ofthe present type a diving member of the character described, having anovel pressure responsive buoyant element associated therewith.

A further object of the invention is to provide for an amusement deviceof the present type a divingmember constructed and arranged to permit ofthe use of members of comparatively large surface area with respect tothe size of th container.

These and other objects of the invention and the various features of theconstruction, arrangement and use thereof are hereinafter fully setforth and described and shown in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a view in plan of an amusement device employing the presentinvention.

Figure 2 is a view in section taken on line 22, Figure 3; and

Figure 3 is a front elevation view of the device disclosed in Figure 1.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing, reference numeral Idesignates, generally, a container, such as a bottle or th like, havinga neck 2 at its top provided with an opening 3 therethrough to theinterior of said container. As shown, the body of the container I incrosssection is of relatively narrow elongated configuration while theopening 3 in the neck thereof is circular in shape and of substantiallysmaller size than the cross-section of the interior of said containerbody portion. The container I normally is filled with water and its neckopening 3 closed with a cork or other suitable stopper 4 (not shown).

In addition to the water, the container is intended to contain anelement or member 5 constructed and arranged to rise or fan through thewater in said container in response to a decrease or increase,respectively, in th pressure exerted upon the water by the neck closure4. The invention comprehends, particularly, certain novel features ofconstruction and arrangement of the element or member 5.

In prior amusement devices of the present type the members immersed inthe water within the container have generally been of three-dimensionalform having a maximum cross-sectional shape and area less than theopening 3 in the neck 2 of the container in order that said members maybe passed through th neck opening 3 into the body of the container, Thisis objectionable for not only ar the members limited to quite smallsizes but after the members have been inserted into the container thereis nothing to keep them faced in one general direction and they,therefore, tend to rotate with the result that most of the time they donot face in the direction of or toward the person using the amusementdevice.

Now according to the present invention, the

member 5 is two-dimensional and formed of relatively thin sheet materialthat is waterproof and has a density greater than water so that it willsink therein in the manner hereinafter described. The height, verticallyof the sheet material member 5 is, of course, predeterminedlyproportioned with respect to the height of the body of the containerand, on the other hand, the maximum width and height of the sheet member5 is made substantially greater than the maximum thickness of theinterior of the container body from front to back thereof. This is donefor the purpose of preventing complete rotation of the member 5 aboutits vertical and horizontal axes within said container I. Thus, as shownin dot and dash lines in Figure 2, when the member 5, tends to rotate,for example, about its vertical axis, its side edges contact the frontand rear walls of the container I and these portions, acting as stopstend to urg th member 5 in the reverse direction thus functioning tomaintain the member 5 facing forwardly at all times. Apart from theseconsiderations it will be seen that members having a comparatively largefront surface size and area may be employed.

Since the maximum width of the member 5 is substantially greater thanthe thickness of the container I as aforesaid, said member 5 likewisehas a width considerably greater than the diameter of the opening 3 inthe container neck 2. Hence, in order to permit of the insertion of themember 5 into the container I the sheet material comprising the sameessentially is flexible transversely so that it can be deformed or bentinto an arcuate or curved cross-section shape having a radius smallenough to pass through the neck opening 3, for example, as shown inFigure 1 0f the drawing. Too, in addition to being flexible, it isessential that the material comprising th member have sufficientinherent resiliency to cause the member 5 automatically to resume orreturn to its generally flat shape after it has been bent and passedthrough the neck opening 3 into the body of the container I.

The configuration of the sheet member 5 in elevation may be formed toconform to the outline of any particular person, object or article thatit may be desired to represent, and a likeness of such person, object orarticle may be printed, painted or otherwise reproduced in one or morecolors on the front face of said sheet member. The material employed forthis .purpose should be waterproof and, of course, the sheet materialcomprising the member 5 essentially provides a surface capable ofreceiving and retaining the ink, paint or other material thereon in thepresence of water.

As sheet material for the member 5, I preferably employ Celluloid inthin sheet form for I have found that such material not only iswaterproof and characterized by the desired degree of flexibility andresiliency, but also that its surface will receive and retain waterproofinks and paint thereon. Too, this material in the form used is heavierthan water and, furthermore, it is comparatively inexpensive and readilyobtainable on the market. There may exist other sheet materialspossessing the desired properties that can be used effectively and,therefore, I do not wish to limit the present invention to the use ofCelluloid alone.

To impart buoyance to the sheet member 5 in order that it may be causedto rise through the water in the container under certain conditionshereinafter described, there is secured to the rear surface of saidsheet member a suitable pressure responsive element 6 which, upon anincrease in pressure within said container, will be compressed therebyreducing the buoyant effect of said element 6 upon the sheet member 5 toan extent that said member will sink or fall downwardly through thewater and which, when the pressure is again reduced, will expand thereby increasing the buoyant effect of the element 6 to an extent causingthe member 5 to rise in the water in the container I.

For this pressure responsive element 6 I preferably employ cellularrubber. This is a gasexpanded rubber product comprising a multitude ofminute, entirely closed gas containing pockets or cells. The size of theelement 5 employed is, of course, dependent upon and directly related tothe weight or density of the sheet member 5 as well as the pressure atwhich the device is to operate. Hence the size of the element 6 that isemployed will vary for different sized devices as well as for divingmembers of different density, and I have found that, with a cellularrubber having a density of about fourteen pounds .per cubic foot, goodresults are obtained by employing for the element 6 a relatively smallpiece of said cellular rubber having a weight approximately one-thirdthe weight of a body member 5 composed of sheet Celluloid. This ratiomay be changed as required when sheet materials other than Celluloid areemployed.

The pressure responsive element 6 is secured to the rear surface of thesheet member 5 by means of a suitable waterproof cement. Preferably forthis purpose I employ a commercial form of rubber cement which retainsits flexibility upon drying and thereby eliminates any All tendency forthe element 6 to become loosened as a result of its continued expansionand contraction as a result of pressure variation to which subjected.

Variation of the pressure under which the water in the container l isplaced is effected by varying the pressure exerted downwardly upon thecork or stopper closure 4 in the neck opening 3 of said container, forexample, by the thumb of the person operating the device, and inoperation of said device, sufiicient pressure applied downwardly uponsaid closure 4 will place the water in said container I under pressurethereby causing a compression of the pressure responsive element 6sufficiently to cause the member 5 to fall downwardly through the waterto the bottom of the container while a release of the pressure from theclosure 4 will effect a corresponding reduction in the water pressureallowing the element 6 again to expand thus increasing its buoyancy andcausing the member 5 to rise through the water to the top of thecontainer I.

From the'foregoing, it will be observed that the present inventionprovides a novel diving member for amusement devices of the present typewhich is exceedingly inexpensive to manu- 'facture and which ischaracterized also by its water resistant properties as well as itsinherent resilient flexibility thereby permitting the use of asubstantially larger diving member having a width sufficient to preventrotation thereof within a container body while at the same time enablingsaid diving member to be deformed and inserted readily and easily withinthe narrow neck of the container with the assurance that the member willagain assume its normal flat sheet-like form.

While a particular embodiment of the present invention has herein beenillustrated and described, it is not intended to limit said invention tosuch disclosure but that changes and modifications may be made andincorporated therein within the scope of the annexed claims.

I claim:

1. An amusement device of the character described comprising a containerof laterally elongated cross-section shape to be filled with a liquidand having a narrow neck opening at the top thereof, a diving member inthe container comprising a body portion of thin waterproof sheetmaterial and a gas containing pressure responsive float element securedto the rear surface thereof, said sheet material body portion of thediving member having a maximum width substantially greater than themaximum width of said elongated container cross-section therebypreventing rotation of said diving member within the container, and saidsheet material body portion being characterized by its flexibility andresiliency thereby to permit it to return to substantially flatsheet-like form after being deformed and inserted through the narrowneck opening of said container, and a closure in the neck portion ofsaid container operable to vary the pressure upon the liquid in thecontainer to cause the diving member to move upwardly or downwardlythrough the liquid in accordance with the effect of such pressurevariation upon the pressure responsive element of said diving member.

2. An amusement device of the character described comprising a containerof laterally elongated cross-section shape to be filled with a liquidand having a narrow neck opening at the top thereof, a diving member inthe container comprising a body portion of thin Waterproof sheetmaterial and a pressure responsive float element of closed cell gasexpanded soft rubber secured to the rear surface thereof, said sheetmaterial body portion of the diving member having a maximum widthsubstantially greater than the maximum Width of said elongated containercross-section thereby preventing rotation of said diving member withinthe container, and said sheet material body portion being characterizedby its flexibility and resiliency thereby to permit it to return tosubstantially flat sheetlike form after being deformed and insertedthrough the narrow neck opening of said container, and a closure in theneck portion of said container operable to vary the pressure upon theliquid in the container to cause the diving member to move upwardly ordownwardly through the liquid in accordance with the effect of suchpressure variation upon the pressure responsive element of said divingmember.

3. An amusement device of the character described comprising a containerto be filled with a liquid and having a neck opening at the top thereof,a diving member in the container comprising a body portion of thinwaterproof sheet material and a gas containing pressure responsive floatelement secured to the rear surface thereof, said sheet material bodyportion being characterized by its flexibility and resiliency thereby topermit it to return to substantially flat sheet-like form after beingdeformed and inserted through the neck opening of said container, and aclosure in the neck portion of said container operable to vary thepressure upon the liquid in the container to cause the diving member tomove upwardly and downwardly in accordance with the efiect of suchpressure variation upon the pressure responsive element of said divingmember.

4. An amusement device of the character described comprising a containerto be filled with a liquid and having a neck opening at the top thereof,a diving member in the container com prising a body portion of thinwaterproof sheet material and a pressure responsive float element ofclosed cell gas expanded soft rubber secured to the rear surfacethereof, said sheet material body portion having a maximum widthsubstantially greater than the maximum width of said elongated containercross-section thereby preventing rotation of said diving member withinthe container, and a closure in the neck portion of said containeroperable to vary the pressure upon the liquid in the container to causethe diving member to move upwardly or downwardly through the liquid inaccordance with the effect of such pressure variation upon the pressureresponsive element of said diving member.

5. A diving member for amusement devices of the character describedcomprising a body portion of thin waterproof sheet material, said sheetmaterial body portion being characterized by flexibility and resiliencythereby to permit of its deformation and thereafter of its return to itsoriginal form free from damage, and a gas containing pressure responsivefloat element secured to a surface of said sheet body portion.

6. A diving member for amusement devices of the character describedcomprising a body portion of thin waterproof sheet material, said sheetmaterial body portion being characterized by flexibility and resiliencythereby to permit of its deformation and thereafter of its return to itsoriginal form free from damage, and a pressure responsive float elementof closed cell gas expanded soft rubber secured to a surface of saidsheet body portion.

FREDERICK E. PARSONS.

